In order to attract new customers and to strengthen customer loyalty among existing customers, many businesses offer loyalty reward programs. Loyalty reward programs are commonplace in a wide variety of industries, including travel and grocery stores. Each member in a loyalty reward program is generally issued a membership card having an identification number, after a registration process that collects certain personal information, such as a name, address and additional demographic information. The business thereafter credits the customer with loyalty points (or airline miles) for each purchase. Typically, accumulated loyalty points can be redeemed for goods, services or discounts on future purchases. The loyalty reward programs provide a mechanism for companies to monitor the purchase history of each enrolled customer, and to thereby ascertain behavioral trends. In addition, the business can review the recorded activity and award a corresponding level of reward to each customer.
While such loyalty reward programs often successfully develop customer loyalty, it has been found that many customers are uncomfortable providing personal information and are distrustful of the motives of the business for gathering data regarding their activities. The level of discomfort may vary with the nature of the products or services offered by the business. For example, a customer may be particularly unwilling to reveal their personal information in connection with purchases of lottery tickets or liquor. For this reason, participation in these programs, while significant, is limited to a particular demographic that is willing to have their purchase history monitored. Meanwhile, traditional methods of collecting consumer information without direct consumer cooperation may provide useful information but only with coarse resolution and no ability to directly and visibly benefit consumers.
A need therefore exists for a method and apparatus for the anonymous tracking of consumer purchases. A further need exists for a method and apparatus for tracking consumer purchases using a unique anonymous identifier. Yet another need exists for a method and apparatus that permits the anonymous tracking of consumer purchases while directly rewarding consumers for such purchases.